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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

LCU students travel to England to walk in footsteps of C.S. Lewis

PINEVILLE, La. (LCUNews) -- Nine Louisiana Christian University students and two faculty members spent two weeks in England seeing firsthand the world in which C.S. Lewis walked. Anna Albury, The Bahamas, Madalyn Starns, Amite, Hannah Miller, Iowa, Louisiana, Jade Harmon, Lafayette, Joshua Poole, Lithia, Florida, Leanna Lanford, Pineville, Mackenzie Strickland, Monroe, Marisa Mercer, Winnfield and Emma Ellis, Krotz Springs joined professors Justin Langford, dean of the School of Missions and Ministries, and Sarah Payne, director of the C.S. Lewis Honors Program and a chemistry professor, on the 14-day trip. Students, several who were part of HN304 Honors Colloquium travel course, toured London, Oxford, Stonehenge and Bath. HN 304 is a travel course option that all honors students can take, and the location varies every year. “This was the inaugural trip to London and Oxford which, I believe, was delayed a couple years due to COVID restrictions,” Langford said. “The London trip will be the regular international trip offered every three years.” The colloquium travel courses are on a three-year rotation (national, local, international), said Payne. “A trip to Boston in May 2023 is in the works,” Payne said. “There … [Read more...]

GOLA teams prepare for summer missions

By Message staff ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) - Louisiana Baptist college students gathered on June 3 to finalize details before embarking for GOLA summer missions in the state and beyond. Now, in its 14th year, GOLA (Go Louisiana) VBS is an emphasis by the Louisiana Baptist collegiate ministry that allows college students to serve on teams who spend the summer sharing God’s love through what is the largest evangelistic outreach – Vacation Bible School -- of the year for many congregations. Churches in which the teams conduct a VBS normally have low baptisms and would have trouble coordinating such an event without the help of the GOLA VBS team. Two teams that will comprise five college students on each will serve at churches around the state, June 4-July 16. Another team of six students will conduct VBS in Wyoming, June 9-July 31, while another team of students will serve in Costa Rica, June 21-28. One student will serve as a church staff apprentice in Louisiana. Additionally, the state’s 15 BCMs will provide many more to serve as interns, camp personnel, church staff and international mission board missionaries. GOLA strategist Ashley Jones said students who serve on GOLA teams are a blessing to both students and … [Read more...]

LBC’s Horn comments about SBC SATF report

By Steve Horn ALEXANDRIA, La. - I, like many of you, read the report from Guidepost and experienced an array of emotions. We must do better. We must be better. Those affected by sexual abuse deserve better and certainly, our devotion to our Lord demands better. As promised during our Annual Meeting last November, we will seek to listen to, and support, those  who have suffered abuse. In addition, we will be proactive in implementing strategies that endeavor to eliminate all incidents of sexual abuse among our churches. During our May Executive Board meeting, I updated our trustees on what’s been done since our November gathering. We will continue to review the report from the SATF and discern what recommendations can and should be adopted among our convention of churches. I urge Louisiana Baptists to pray this moment brings us to a place of acknowledgment of sin which leads to repentance that makes way for the fruit of repentance. For about a year now, we have been calling people to introspection, consecration, intercession, and decision through the personal revival guide, Change Me. Today, more than ever, we need to be praying, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test and know my concerns. See if there is any … [Read more...]

Rolling Hills opens coffee shop, bookstore

By Message staff RUSTON, La. (LBM) – Rolling Hills Ministries has opened a bookstore and coffee shop. Located eight miles south of its main office in Ruston, the facility has more than 20,000 books for sale and offers fresh ground coffee, espressos, lattes, fresh baked snacks, smoothies and more that can be enjoyed in the store or underneath a porch. Ministry Director John Cowling said the bookstore and coffee shop is the culmination of 17 weeks of Rolling Hills staff and local volunteers working more than 4,000 hours to accomplish a vision that God gave the ministry more than a year ago. The coffee shop and bookstore are funded through donations and sales from its thrift store. “God has blessed us through the generous donations of the people in our community and we are so excited to be able to be good stewards of these gifts and provide a welcoming environment for the community to come together and know that God loves them through the new opportunities this facility will give us,” Cowling said. The bookstore and coffee shop, located at 1103 Farmerville Hwy. in Ruston, is open 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. … [Read more...]

LCU grad Ben Waites to appear on America’s Got Talent

By Message staff Ben Waites, a Christian musical recording artist and 2010 graduate of Louisiana Christian University, will appear on an episode of the upcoming season of America’s Got Talent. While the exact date of his appearance on the national talent show is not known, Waites expressed excitement about the opportunity on his Facebook page. The 17th season of the show premieres Tuesday, May 31, 7 p.m. on NBC. “Thank you for always believing in me and showing so much support,” Waites wrote on his Facebook page. “I couldn’t do this without you. I covet your prayers that God would use this opportunity to reach a lot of people.” … [Read more...]

United Way, BCM to announce $500,000 in Summer Impact Grants

By Baptist Community Ministries staff NEW ORLEANS, La. - The United Way of Southeast Louisiana and Baptist Community Ministries will name the recipients of the inaugural Summer Impact Grants during a news conference Thursday, June 2. The two organizations allocated $500,000, collectively, to help youth-serving organizations strengthen education, health and workforce during the summer in undeserved neighborhoods in Orleans Parish. More than 30 summer program providers won the awards, which ranged from $5,000-$20,000, based on qualifications that included operating in Orleans Parish and focusing on serving young people of color, ages 11 to 24, that live below the ALICE Threshold. According to the United Way website, ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. Those who are ALICE workers earn just above the Federal Poverty Level but less than what it costs to make ends meet. … [Read more...]

LBF announces ‘ChurchBiz Conversations’

By staff ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – The Louisiana Baptist Foundation has launched ‘ChurchBiz Conversations’, a free service that has been specifically developed for church administrators, pastors and other staff involved in managing the business side of ministry for their congregations. The online portal provides a platform to discuss church business administration topics, provide/receive recommendations for church-related products/services, place churches’ job postings, while connecting church staffs around the state to maximize efforts. Jeff Steed, LBF executive director, told the Baptist Message this was an effort by the Foundation to continue to provide services that “add value to churches and ministries.” He said it was another way for the LBF to come alongside churches, and mentioned Ecclesiastes 4:9, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor” (NKJV). Steed offered that individuals can start or join conversations now, by registering on LBFinfo.org/forums. “The Foundation is very grateful for the partnership in ministry we enjoy with Louisiana Baptists,” Steed shared, “We hope the ‘ChurchBiz Conversations’ online platform will help their ministries advance the Kingdom!” … [Read more...]

Louisiana EC trustees release SATC statements

By Message Staff After taking time to examine a 288-page report from a task force that oversaw an independent review of the SBC Executive Committee over allegations of mishandling reports of sexual abuse, Louisiana’s three Executive Committee trustee members shared their thoughts on the findings with the Message. The Task Force released its findings on May 22. The report — that can be found on sataskforce.net — outlines the Executive Committee’s handling of sexual abuse cases between 2000 and mid-2021. The independent investigation was conducted by Guidepost Solutions. All statements are in their entirety as sent to the Message. MIKE HOLLOWAY Mike Holloway is pastor of Ouachita Baptist Church, West Monroe. He said: “As a member of the Executive Committee Trustees representing Louisiana since 2014, I want to say that it has been an honor and most of the time a joy to serve. I rotate off as a trustee at the SBC Annual Meeting this June. As all the others on the EC, I want to express my disappointment or sorrow about the many things that were revealed in this investigative report. Can I begin by explaining that there is a difference between the Executive Committee and the Executive Committee trustees? As a … [Read more...]